Should Memphis have had to get a fourth win over a top-55 KenPom opponent before being a ranked basketball team this season? Probably not.
Is this ranking a bit overdue? Probably so, but that no longer matters.
The Tigers (8-2) are in the AP Top 25 after defeating No. 18 Clemson 79-77 inside FedExForum Saturday. Penny Hardaway’s team—which also owns victories at Texas A&M, versus Michigan and versus Arkansas—is slotted at No. 23 in this week’s AP poll.
This is Memphis’ first appearance in the rankings since it was No. 24 in last season’s final poll. It’s also Memphis’ highest ranking since it was No. 9 in the Nov. 22, 2021 poll. Hardaway, though skeptical his team would get it, thought they deserved it and then some after Saturday’s win.
“I wouldn’t even be mad [if Memphis isn’t ranked],” he said postgame. “Out of any team in the country, I feel like we’ve really had to earn the right to be in [the top 25].”
Some thought Memphis should’ve been ranked in the preseason. Many thought it earned a spot after crushing Missouri in Columbia on Nov. 10. Most hopped on the Tigers’ bandwagon during their 2-1 run in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and then again after they defeated both VCU and Texas A&M on the road earlier this month.
The few naysayers left were no more once the final buzzer sounded Saturday. In a raucous environment featuring 15,052 Memphians cheering on their Tigers, who had been away from home for nearly a month, Memphis came through by beating a Clemson team that entered with a 9-0 record, a top-15 ranking and wins at both Alabama and Pittsburgh.
The Tigers shot 43% from the field for the game and 50% in the second half. They also collected 11 offensive rebounds and 9 steals, and turned the ball over just six times. Clemson, meanwhile, had 15 turnovers Saturday afternoon and made just 17% of its 3-point attempts in the second half.
Memphis leading scorer David Jones again led the way with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Point guard Jahvon Quinerly delivered with 17 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Center Malcolm Dandridge played his heart out with 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a phenomenal defensive effort, including a late possession where his relentless switch-man pressure caused a shot-clock violation with 42 seconds to play. Forward Nick Jourdain also chipped in 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Memphis played like a second-weekend team in a second-weekend kind of environment, and proved once and for all that it deserves to be labeled amongst the best in college basketball this season. It can do so again by beating No. 22 Virginia at home Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN2).
Oh, and things should get even better once Nae’Qwan Tomlin joins the team. The 6-foot-10 senior, a mid-season transfer from Kansas State (12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in last season’s NCAA Tournament), will be immediately eligible to play this season once he officially signs with the program and enrolls in the university.
For the 2023-24 Tigers—the possibilities are now truly endless.